CAL Sports Academy is an organization that cares about our local community. My coaches and I think about everyone’s challenges during this unprecedented time. We think about those who are struggling to purchase food, clothes, shelter, or toys for their children during the holidays. Some people are unable to see their loved ones, children, or friends at the holiday time due to the pandemic. Others have been searching for a job due to downsizing or closures of many companies. Many are also having trouble with attaining a steady income since companies have reduced their employee work hours. At CAL Sports Academy, we may not be able to help with these economic or pandemic issues, but we can encourage everyone to do their part in providing kindness and thoughtful actions to help those in need.
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I have provided a list of some simple yet meaningful actions you can do to help others:
DONATIONS
Donating your time, money or items to people or organizations in need. Consider donating toys to the Toys for Tots program or children’s winter clothing to Cradles to Crayons. Donate your time to helping others in a manner to which you can assist others. Monetary donations towards organizations such as soup kitchens, community pantries, homeless shelters, domestic abuse shelters, SPCA, PBS, American Red Cross, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, or other organizations that help others.
THANKING OUR COMMUNITY HELPERS
Write a letter to a healthcare provider or first responder thanking them for their dedication to help people in our community. This can include nurses, doctors, allied health workers, environmental service workers, teachers, school employees, sanitation workers, mail carrier, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers, grocery workers, farmers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and many others.
ASSISTING NEIGHBORS
Helping a neighbor in need can create a closer neighborhood bond, where everyone offers to help each other. Examples include clearing snow from neighbor’s driveway who is unable to do it themselvesor offering an unexpected warm meal.
FORGIVENESS
Reach-out to a family member or a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while due to some type of misunderstanding and offer them forgiveness so that you can reconnect with each other. Holding onto past disagreements only provide you and the other person with greater amounts of stress. Release the tension by offering forgiveness and a fresh start for an upcoming new year.
PAY IT FORWARD (Acts of Kindness)
Initiate an act of kindness. Pay for the person’s coffee behind you at the coffee shop, and then tell them that the only thing you ask is that they pay it forward unexpectedly for someone else sometime that day then ask that person to pay it forward as well.
COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS WHO ARE ALONE
Reach-out to communicate with someone who may have limited contact with others due to the pandemic. For example, many older adults are alone in their homes right now because they are afraid to go out or have others over their home to prevent getting infected with COVID-19. Provide them with telephone or video calls so they can feel connected to others and have opportunities to socialize. On your holiday of choice in December, invite someone who’s alone in their home to video with you during their dinner so they feel they are eating their meal with others while celebrating their holiday.
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer your time to help such as serving others at a soup kitchen, helping at a donation center such as Mitzvah Circle, Cradles for Crayons, or Meals on Wheels.
COLLECT FOOD DONATIONS
Contact a local organization and find-out how you can organize a food drive for them. Ideas include Philabundance, Daily Bread Community Food Pantry, Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard, Salvation Army, or other places in your area that provide food to those in need.
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In conclusion, please lend a helping hand to those in your community. If we all help one another, it will uplift our community during these troubled times of the pandemic. If everyone makes a special effort to be kind, helpful, and generous this holiday season, many more people will have their spirits uplifted, stomachs full of food, and warm clothes during these cold months ahead. Thank you in advance for creating a spirit of giving and assistance this holiday season!
If you would like other suggestions of how you can help others, you are welcome to contact me, Corey Lord, at CAL Sports Academy by email at office@calsportsacademy.com or phone at 1-844-CAL-EDGE (844-225-3343).